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Review: ‘She Never Died’ Brings Female Fury to an Immortal Tale

Published

5 years ago

October 10, 2019

She Never Died is a tangential sequel to 2015’s Henry Rollins-lead He Never Died, which follows Rollins’ Jack as he shuffles through his immortal life with deadpan delivery and a never ending stream of trouble. More spinoff than sequel, She Never Died takes the story of a cannibalistic immortal and twists in a decidedly feminist edge.

Written by Jason Krawczyk (He Never Died) and directed by Audrey Cummings (Tormented aka Berkshire County), She Never Died follows Lacey (Olunike Adeliyi, Saw 3D: The Final Chapter), a socially detached loner with a vigilante hobby that provides her with the human flesh she needs for sustenance. When one of her food runs catches the attention of a dark web streaming site, Lacey becomes tangled up in a world of underground crime that threatens to destroy her.

via A71

As a side effect of one of her vigilante justice escapades, Lacey develops a friendship with Suzzie (Kiana Madeira, Level 16), an excitable but jaded sex worker. With her chatty intrusions, Suzzie has all the potential to be an insufferable character, but Madeira is so utterly charming that you’re immediately won over. Even after a traumatic experience, she’s full of light.

Adeliyi as Lacey is rigid and disinterested, but with flashes of intensity that remind you what the character is capable of. It’s a performance that could easily be misinterpreted as wooden, however, the more time we spend with the character, the more it clicks in. It is perhaps unfair to compare her performance with Rollins’ in He Never Died, but it’s difficult not to draw connections when the characters are so matched in their persona.

via A71

With its change in pronouns, She Never Died brings a female focus to the world of the immortal biblical cannibal. We don’t learn what Lacey’s role is until the very end of the film, but there are limited options from the source material, so you can probably hazard a good guess. That said, not much time is spent on the lore and laws of the character; She Never Died already assumes you’ve seen the first film. While this is fine for anyone who has, those that haven’t might find the loose ends to be a tad confusing.

She Never Died has some strong female characters at its core, each with their own complexities. Both of our leads are women of color with troubled histories. When we first meet Lacey she is living on the streets. Unlike Jack, she does not have millennia of white male privilege to keep her comfortable. Her newfound friend Suzzie is vibrant, confident, and personable, providing a positive representation of a sex worker. She has depth and personality; she’s eager to get involved, though she is thoroughly independent. And to go against the trope that’s so common in horror films, she isn’t killed or otherwise punished in a gruesome way.

The “big bad” of the film is a curious character herself. Meredith (Michelle Nolden, RED) runs a human trafficking ring where she shuttles girls off to the highest bidder. It’s a bold operation, and one that’s not typically headed by women. There’s something about it that feels like a betrayal — that calculated destruction of female solidarity. It’s an effective way to establish her as a horrible person and a deeply unethical threat.

via A71

She Never Died balances themes of judgement and justice, solidarity and independence. Its grander themes of immortality and consequence aren’t fully explored, which is a shame because there are some great opportunities that come with such an open premise. This seems to fall more on the script than the direction, but again, if you have seen the first film it grants a bit more context.

As a straight film (without the context of a sequel), She Never Died brings a few things to the table. It has an interesting story, some great visuals and tense moments, and fun gore to satisfy the horror hounds. But the plot details on their own — without the proper context — could easily confuse viewers. To get the most out of the film, you really should watch both parts. Think of She Never Died as a companion piece; it can stand on its own, but it’s part of a whole.

Everyone has their demons, but for She Never Died, the devil is in the details.

She Never Died will have its U.S. Premiere at ScreamFest (Hollywood, Los Angeles) on October 10.

She Never Died

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Related Topics:Audrey Cummings He Never Died She Never Died

Movies

Trailer for ‘The Exorcism’ Has Russell Crowe Possessed

Published

15 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The latest exorcism movie is about to drop this summer. It’s aptly titled The Exorcism and it stars Academy Award winner turned B-movie savant Russell Crowe. The trailer dropped today and by the looks of it, we are getting a possession movie that takes place on a movie set.

Just like this year’s recent demon-in-media-space film Late Night With the Devil, The Exorcism happens during a production. Although the former takes place on a live network talk show, the latter is on an active sound stage. Hopefully, it won’t be entirely serious and we’ll get some meta chuckles out of it.

The film will open in theaters on June 7, but since Shudder also acquired it, it probably won’t be long after that until it finds a home on the streaming service.

Crowe plays, “Anthony Miller, a troubled actor who begins to unravel while shooting a supernatural horror film. His estranged daughter, Lee (Ryan Simpkins), wonders if he’s slipping back into his past addictions or if there’s something more sinister at play. The film also stars Sam Worthington, Chloe Bailey, Adam Goldberg and David Hyde Pierce.”

Crowe did see some success in last year’s The Pope’s Exorcist mostly because his character was so over-the-top and infused with such comical hubris it bordered on parody. We will see if that is the route actor-turned-director Joshua John Miller takes with The Exorcism.

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News

Win a Stay at The Lizzie Borden House From Spirit Halloween

Published

16 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Spirit Halloween has declared that this week marks the start of spooky season and to celebrate they are offering fans a chance to stay at the Lizzie Borden House with so many perks Lizzie herself would approve.

The Lizzie Borden House in Fall River, MA is claimed to be one of the most haunted houses in America. Of course one lucky winner and up to 12 of their friends will find out if the rumors are true if they win the grand prize: A private stay in the notorious house.

“We are delighted to work with Spirit Halloween to roll out the red carpet and offer the public a chance to win a one-of-a-kind experience at the infamous Lizzie Borden House, which also includes additional haunted experiences and merchandise,” said Lance Zaal, President & Founder of US Ghost Adventures.

Fans can enter to win by following Spirit Halloween‘s Instagram and leaving a comment on the contest post from now through April 28.

The prize also includes:

An exclusive guided house tour, including insider insight around the murder, the trial, and commonly reported hauntings

A late-night ghost tour, complete with professional ghost-hunting gear

A private breakfast in the Borden family dining room

A ghost hunting starter kit with two pieces of Ghost Daddy Ghost Hunting Gear and a lesson for two at US Ghost Adventures Ghost Hunting Course

The ultimate Lizzie Borden gift package, featuring an official hatchet, the Lizzie Borden board game, Lily the Haunted Doll, and America’s Most Haunted Volume II

Winner’s choice of a Ghost Tour experience in Salem or a True Crime experience in Boston for two

“Our Halfway to Halloween celebration provides fans an exhilarating taste of what’s to come this fall and empowers them to start planning for their favorite season as early as they please,” said Steven Silverstein, CEO of Spirit Halloween. “We have cultivated an incredible following of enthusiasts who embody the Halloween lifestyle, and we’re thrilled to bring the fun back to life.”

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Spirit Halloween is also preparing for their retail haunted houses. On Thursday, August 1 their flagship store in Egg Harbor Township, NJ. will officially open to start off the season. That event usually draws in hordes of people eager to see what new merch, animatronics, and exclusive IP goods will be trending this year.

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Movies

’28 Years Later’ Trilogy Taking Shape With Serious Star Power

Published

18 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Danny Boyle is revisiting his 28 Days Later universe with three new films. He will direct the first, 28 Years Later, with two more to follow. Deadline is reporting that sources say Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes have been cast for the first entry, a sequel to the original. Details are being kept under wraps so we don’t know how or if the first original sequel 28 Weeks Later fits into the project.

**Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes**

Boyle will direct the first movie but it’s unclear which role he will take on in the subsequent films. What is known is Candyman (2021) director Nia DaCosta is scheduled to direct the second film in this trilogy and that the third will be filmed immediately afterward. Whether DaCosta will direct both is still unclear.

Alex Garland is writing the scripts. Garland is having a successful time at the box office right now. He wrote and directed the current action/thriller Civil War which was just knocked out of the theatrical top spot by Radio Silence’s Abigail.

There is no word yet on when, or where, 28 Years Later will start production.